|
|
Kryptos'
second passage, K2, is encrypted similarly to the first passage using the
Quagmire III cipher. Again, the keys have been concealed in the sculpture.
Like K1, the first keyword to the second passage is KRYPTOS.
The second keyword is ABSCISSA, a clue provided in the abscised
Morse DIGETAL INTERPRETATI-.
Although we tend to think of this cipher as a physical word-cipher, the
Quagmire III, like most other encryption methods, is based solely on mathematics.
The structure of this particular method uses alphabet characters to represent
numbers. In reality, when A=D, B=E, C=F, etc., the mathematics involved
are as the following example.
| Standard
Representation: |
A=0,
B=1, C=2, D=3, etc. |
| Predetermined
Keyed Decipher Shift: |
Add
3 |
|
| Encrypted:
DXOV
|
Becomes
3,23,14,21 |
| Add
the Shift to Each Number: |
Becomes
6,26,17,24 |
| Adjust
Results that Overflow Table: |
Becomes
6,0,17,24 |
| Decrypt: |
6,0,17,24
Becomes GARY |
The Quagmire III cipher is more complex than the simple cipher above.
The first keyword is implemented by sequentially moving each character of
the key to the beginning of the alphabet to form a new order.
What we have just done is made a physical representation of mathematical
shifts to be used in a table, which is more math represented by characters
for easier addition and subtraction within the predefined structure of the
matrix.
The second keyword, abscissa, is represented in the following table.
See K1 Solution for an animated demonstration
of how this table is built.
|
K
R Y P T O S A
B C D E F G H I J L M N Q U V W X Z |
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7 |
A B C D E F G
H I J L M N Q U V W X Z K R Y P T O S
B C D E F G H
I J L M N Q U V W X Z K R Y P T O S A
S A B C D E F
G H I J L
M N Q U V W X Z K R Y P T O
C D E F G H I
J L
M N Q U V W X Z K R Y P T O S A B
I J L M N Q U
V W X Z K R Y P T O S A B C D E F G H
S A B C D E F
G H I J L M N Q U V W X Z K R Y P T O
S A B C D E F
G H I J L M N Q U V W X Z K R Y P T O
A B C D E F G
H I J L M N Q U V W X Z K R Y P T O S |
|
| 0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
| V |
F |
P |
J |
U |
D |
E |
E |
H |
Z |
W |
E |
T |
Z |
Y |
V |
G |
W |
H |
K |
K |
Q |
E |
T |
G |
F |
Q |
J |
N |
C |
E |
G |
| I |
T |
W |
A |
S |
T |
O |
T |
A |
L |
L |
Y |
I |
N |
V |
I |
S |
I |
B |
L |
E |
H |
O |
W |
S |
T |
H |
A |
T |
P |
O |
S |
|
The following shows the cipher text on the left and the resulting plain
text on the right using the keywords kryptos and abscissa
in Quagmire III beginning with the decryption of VFPJ:
EMUFPHZLRFAXYUSDJKZLDKRNSHGNFIVJ
YQTQUXQBQVYUVLLTREVJYQTMKYRDMFD
VFPJUDEEHZWETZYVGWHKKQETGFQJNCE
GGWHKK?DQMCPFQZDQMMIAGPFXHQRLG
TIMVMZJANQLVKQEDAGDVFRPJUNGEUNA
QZGZLECGYUXUEENJTBJLBQCRTBJDFHRR
YIZETKZEMVDUFKSJHKFWHKUWQLSZFTI
HHDDDUVH?DWKBFUFPWNTDFIYCUQZERE
EVLDKFEZMOQQJLTTUGSYQPFEUNLAVIDX
FLGGTEZ?FKZBSFDQVGOGIPUFXHHDRKF
FHQNTGPUAECNUVPDJMQCLQUMUNEDFQ
ELZZVRRGKFFVOEEXBDMVPNFQXEZLGRE
DNQFMPNZGLFLPMRJQYALMGNUVPDXVKP
DQUMEBEDMHDAFMJGZNUPLGEWJLLAETG |
BETWEENSUBTLESHADINGANDTHEABSENC
EOFLIGHTLIESTHENUANCEOFIQLUSION
ITWASTOTALLYINVISIBLEHOWSTHATPO
SSIBLE?THEYUSEDTHEEARTHSMAGNET
ICFIELDXTHEINFORMATIONWASGATHER
EDANDTRANSMITTEDUNDERGRUUNDTOANU
NKNOWNLOCATIONXDOESLANGLEYKNOWA
BOUTTHIS?THEYSHOULDITSBURIEDOUT
THERESOMEWHEREXWHOKNOWSTHEEXACTL
OCATION?ONLYWWTHISWASHISLASTMES
SAGEXTHIRTYEIGHTDEGREESFIFTYSE
VENMINUTESSIXPOINTFIVESECONDSNO
RTHSEVENTYSEVENDEGREESEIGHTMINU
TESFORTYFOURSECONDSWESTIDBYROWS |
|
The first two rows were deciphered with the keywords kryptos and
palimpsest. The remaining text in the bottom half of the
copperplate is indecipherable with the keys we used, so perhaps a different
set of keys is needed. Perhaps the remaining cipher text is encrypted
by an entirely different method.
| IT
WAS TOTALLY INVISIBLE. HOW'S THAT POSSIBLE? THEY USED THE EARTH'S
MAGNETIC FIELD. X THE INFORMATION WAS GATHERED AND TRANSMITTED
UNDERGRUUND TO AN UNKNOWN LOCATION. X DOES LANGLEY KNOW ABOUT
THIS? THEY SHOULD. IT'S BURIED OUT THERE SOMEWHERE. X WHO KNOWS
THE EXACT LOCATION? ONLY W.W. THIS WAS HIS LAST MESSAGE. X THIRTY-EIGHT
DEGREES FIFTY-SEVEN MINUTES SIX POINT FIVE SECONDS NORTH SEVENTY-SEVEN
DEGREES EIGHT MINUTES FORTY-FOUR SECONDS WEST ID BY ROWS. |
|
This text is meant to be read as a Morse Code transmission, the X's
most likely representing stops. This misspelling of underground
is intentional according to Sanborn. Punctuation and word-spacing
have been determined for easier readability although not represented in
the actual text.
An interactive Quagmire III simulator can be found at http://members.aol.com/SciRealm/KryptosSim.html.
Gillogly
Cracks CIA Art
http://www.ussrback.com/crypto/nsa/kryptos/cia-art-jg.htm
Kryptos: The Sanborn Sculpture at CIA Headquarters - John's Kryptos
Simulator
http://members.aol.com/SciRealm/KryptosSim.html |
